that is,

a shout-out on the interstices of music, food, life, and more

19 March 2006

on origins

Some preliminary thoughts on the origins of this blog:

I first encountered the phrase "..., that is, ..." years ago in Vladimir Nabokov's Invitation to A Beheading (thanks again, Dr. Hilary Fink, for that outstanding Russian lit class!). Since then the phrase has inundated many of the pages that I've read, and in my opinion, far surpasses its Latin equivalent, "id est," or "i.e." Lest I fully betray my academic inclinations, I confess that I find it slightly overused and at times misused. But this blog is not about that!

Rather I hope for this space to entertain myself and those viewers who un/knowingly pause for a moment on this "stitch of space." I do take some measure of inspiration from Nabokov's work in that the protagonist, Cincinnatus, writes from his jail cell in order to maintain his autonomy as an individual and, moreover, to sustain his imagination.

With absurdity, with humor, and with intentionality, I hereby join the blogosphere. Thanks for walking with me in this gap and in those to come...